


Keep It Steady

by BridgetMcKennitt



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Childhood, Dancing, Developing Relationship, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-02
Updated: 2013-07-02
Packaged: 2017-12-15 07:28:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/846909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BridgetMcKennitt/pseuds/BridgetMcKennitt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Their love was never some big flashy thing. It was steady and it didn't matter the distance, years, or chaos, they loved each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Keep It Steady

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jain](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jain/gifts).



Steve couldn't keep his eyes off the stage as the ballerinas glided across the floor. They were beautiful, sure, but they moved beautifully like nothing Steve had seen before in his young life. Bucky sat to his side, enjoying the performance with him. Their teacher managed to get her class a chance to watch Swan Lake at the local performing arts center. Their seats were in the very back, but Steve didn't care. He was just happy to be there.

Bucky leaned in close to whisper in his ear. "Those ladies are hot. I need to thank Mrs. Valastro for taking us here."

"They are beautiful, but I'm more interested in their dancing. How do they move like that?"

"Hard work and magic." Bucky nudged him with his shoulder. "Dancing's fun though. I like it."

Steve shrugged his shoulders and Bucky stared at him. "Stop staring at me. Mrs. Valastro is going to yell at us if we're not paying attention."

Bucky turned around to look at the stage, but Steve knew Bucky wasn't going to give up so easily. He never did. When the performance ended and their class headed to the school bus, Bucky pushed Steve into a row and sat down, effectively trapping him between the window and Bucky. There was no point in dodging Bucky's line of questioning, so he looked at Bucky and gestured.

"Go ahead. I know you want to ask me something."

"You don't know how to dance, do you?" It was more of a sentence and less of a question. Steve nodded briskly, not afraid to admit it to Bucky. "There's nothing wrong with that. I can teach you how to dance easy."

Steve wasn't surprised by Bucky's words. There wasn't much out there that Bucky couldn't do. "I'd like that. Thank you."

Bucky slung his arm around Steve's shoulders and grinned at him. "You're going to be such a great dancer that every girl is going to want to be your dance partner at the next school dance."

"Maybe." He doubted that scenario, but it would be great for him to dance even half as well as the ballerinas did during their performance of Swan Lake. "When should we start?"

"After school. We can use one of the empty classrooms to practice. It'll be great."

When they reached the school, there was still half of the day before school ended, so Steve was patient while he sat in his classes. Finally, the last bell rang and Steve met up with Bucky.

"Lead the way," said Steve.

They entered an empty music room and Bucky turned around and bowed with a flourish. Steve laughed.

"I don't have any music, so we're going to have to pretend there is music playing."

"I can do that." Steve started snapping his fingers and tapping his shoe.

Bucky stepped forward and took Steve's hands in his. "So how do you want to do this? Fast or slow?"

"Slow. Let's try slow." Steve looked up at Bucky's face.

"Okay. I'm going to lead first and you follow." Bucky took a step left and Steve stumbled after him. With each step, Steve tried to keep up and look as smooth as Bucky did. Judging from Bucky's attempt to not laugh, he wasn't doing a very good job of it.

Steve sighed and dropped Bucky's hands. "So that was a waste of time. Thanks for trying though, Bucky."

"Nah, you'll get it. This just means you can't follow in a dance. Here, let's try with you leading." Bucky took Steve's hands and waited. And waited. "Steve, this is where you lead."

"Uh, what do I do?"

"Sway. We can sway."

Steve held Bucky closer as they swayed.

*

Steve remembered Bucky's attempt to teach him how to dance, and he remembered how he promised a dance with Peggy before he had crashed into the water. He thought his entire world had disappeared during the seventy years he'd been asleep, and now seeing Bucky alive was a complete shock.

That thought had to be put on hold as he and Natasha fought to bring back Bucky and to save the world. When it was over, and Bucky was Bucky, Steve thought about dancing.

"How do you feel?" he asked as he slung his arm around Bucky's shoulders.

"Like I've been brainwashed for the last couple of decades."

"It doesn't feel like that now, but you'll be okay in time." Steve squeezed Bucky's shoulders. "I think you and I need to get some burgers in us. It'll help."

"Yeah, let's do that."

Steve hailed them a taxi cab and took them to a burger joint that Natasha showed him not that long ago. Steve thought Bucky would take the time to stare at all the buildings and the changes that marked this period of time, but he didn't. He kept his gaze down at his hands. Steve reached over and placed his hand over Bucky's.

"I'm here for you."

"I know. We've been there for each other since we were kids. I doubt that's changed in all these years."

"It hasn't."

There's a shell around Bucky, even as they reach the burger joint and are enjoying their burgers. That's not Bucky. Even when they were in the thick of danger taking down Hydra factories, Bucky was open and happy. Steve wasn't expecting Bucky to be happy, not yet, but he didn't want that shell around Bucky to harden any further.

"What do you want to do after this? The sky's the limit. Literally. There's so many things we can try. I even have a list."

Bucky laughed, and Steve enjoyed hearing the sound. "Do you really? Okay then, let's work on your list. What's first?"

Steve just grinned. "You'll see."

*

A week later, Bucky stumbled behind Steve as they entered Steve's new apartment, provided by SHIELD. "Was this punishment for disappearing on you for almost a century? Because I'm sorry."

Steve laughed and slapped Bucky on his back. "It was fun, right? No one trying to kill us or interrupt us with secret missions."

"Yeah, that's true." Bucky paused. "Things are different than when we fought in the war. I don't think I know how to be normal."

"You were never normal, Bucky, so you don't have to worry about that. Besides, I'll help. I had a head start and everything."

"Thanks." He glanced at Steve. "You know what we haven't done as kids? Dancing. I bet you know all the new dance moves."

"I don't actually. I never got to dance after you...you weren't here."

Bucky clapped his hands together. "Then I know what we're doing next. We're going to dance, Steve."

Steve waved off that suggestion. "There's too many people out there, after the war and what happened in New York, who know me. I don't want their attention, not like that."

"That's easy. You'll dance with me. Come on, it'll just be like old times when I tried to teach you how to dance, and you were just terrible at it."

He had been terrible at it, and if he had made it in time to dance with Peggy, Steve was sure he'd have been terrible at that, too. Steve shrugged. "Probably."

Bucky offered his hand and Steve took it without question. They held each other in the same position they did when they were children.

"This time, you lead," said Bucky. "I'll follow."

They swayed together and it felt good to have Bucky in his arms. When Bucky smiled at him, Steve couldn't help but close the distance to kiss him. Bucky didn't pull away, Steve didn't think he would, and kissed him back.

It was good.


End file.
